Power Rangers GPX SIU: Start Your Engines
by BigD1987
Summary: GPX SIU Prequel: Five young adults attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale are about to be called upon to stop an immoral alchemical organization by a top-secret defense organization. They will gain powers beyond their wildest imaginations. They will become... Power Rangers
1. Start Your Engines, Part 1

Power Rangers GPX SIU: Start Your Engines, Part 1

:-:-:-: Power Rangers, Grand Prix, G-P-X, GO! :-:-:-:

There is a place in the American Midwest, its location a secret to everyone except those who frequent it, where experiments take place. This is not a Frankenstein lab. It is located in a non-descript compound. From the outside, it is just a simple building out in the middle of nowhere. Driving past it, one may think it's a regular building. It certainly seems harmless, just gray concrete buildings, windows, a few cars and some equipment. You'd be forgiven if you thought nothing was going on here.

But you'd be wrong.

There is a room in this building. A hall, the size of a school gymnasium; it's not the most special part of the compound, but it's still important for our story. The walls are lined with strange symbols—a symbol like that of Mars, a triangle, a triangle with an "L"-like line through the side, a circle with a dot in the middle, a crescent moon and other various shapes. The floor is littered with circles.

Candles flickered, giving off a strange light. The room itself was relatively new. It's not like it's 500 years old, or anything. A light, ominous music was playing (seems typical of these types of scenes). It sounded like an old organ with smaller pipes than the ones you see in churches or Chicago Stadium (look up Chicago Stadium Barton Organ for reference).

A door opened and a group of figures, dressed in black cloaks, filed in. Their heads were down, obscuring their faces. They all held candles, too. They lined up on two sides of a circle that contained two pentagons; one was upright, the other, upside down and both were interlocked. What this means could be anyone's guess, but it is only known to the people here.

There was one more symbol at the head of the hall. A large drawing of a dragon devouring its own tail; this is the Ouroboros, a symbol of continuous renewal.

The door opened again, and four figures stepped into the room again. The hooded figures on the side all bowed their heads as the figures walked towards the circle. There was one who towered over all the others. Another was shorter and another of medium height. The one at the front wore a white cloak with the Ouroboros on it.

The quartet stopped and positioned themselves at various points in the circle. The white cloaked figure looked around and then proceeded. A pale, but not albino, arm came forward.

Another figure came into the hall carrying four knives. The others also rolled up their sleeves. The figure held out a knife. He then proceeded to cut white cloak's arm with the knife. Drops of blood fell on a point in the circle. The others then came forward and also gave their blood.

The drops fell on the point and began to soak the floor. Then the figures stepped out of the circle. The circle began to glow an eerie light.

When it was over, the figures looked at their handiwork. "Well done, Neville," said the white-cloaked figure. He took off his hood, displaying a pale face and blond hair. It was thin, but not gaunt, and his blue eyes looked at the scene in front of him. "The circle is almost complete. In due time, our plans will finally come to fruition. All I ask of all of you is patience and that you perform the best. For there will be a day when our Ouroboros Society will triumph!"

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

A man wearing dark blue clothing stepped into a larger room. People were buzzing about, looking over computer screens. They looked at him before going back to their work. They all wore some uniforms which had the same dark blue that he had. Others wore military-style uniforms with the same colors. Others wore suits.

There was no hurry here, but there seemed to be quickness to this man's step. He stepped on an insignia with a sword and an eagle on it. He stepped up to a man in a black longcoat. "Director," he said. The man turned around. He looked like Samuel L. Jackson, bald, and had an eyepatch over one of his eyes. "Our agent says they're moving." The man in black looked at the agent before turning to a screen. Five pictures popped up.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"They seem to be focusing on southwestern Illinois," said the agent. "That's where our operatives are going."

The Samuel L. Jackson look-a-like turned to him. "So they'll be gathered there?"

"Well, five of them," said the agent. He handed a file to the director.

"Looks like we'll have to bring them in," said the director.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

August, 2010

Carbondale, Illinois

"Mom, you don't have to act so upset!" A young man bemoaned as his mother seemed to be fussing over her iPad.

"What's wrong with a mother wanting to take her son's picture?" she asked. "After all, your father insisted on helping you move in the past two years!"

"But it's my junior year," he replied. "And not only that, I should be in the NHL."

"Except you're not good enough," she said. "Sean, your father and I want you to finish college without playing hockey."

"Then I could have gone to Wisconsin," said Sean.

"SIU is the best school for you right now," she said. "I understand you could have gotten into Wisconsin, but your father wants you to stay here."

Sean ran his hands through his medium-length, straight brown hair. His face was kind of slender and he seemed kind of handsome. His Chicago Blackhawks shirt hid a lean but toned physique. His skin was light (due in part to his Irish-born father), but he wasn't going to burn easily (thanks to his mom being of German and Serbian descent).

The Carbondale sun beat down on the 20-year-old Chicagoland native and his mother. She and another man (not his father, in fact Sean's brother-in-law) were getting some things out of her SUV. Sean had a few things out already; his suitcase for one thing.

He was one of many Southern Illinois University Carbondale students moving into Wall & Grand Apartments, an SIU-owned apartment complex.

"Okay, do you want to start moving in?" the man asked, sticking his head out of the SUV. His blond hair was short and he had a pretty athletic build, like a Marine would. He had a more WASP-y appearance to him.

"Thanks a lot, Rob," said Sean's mom. "How's Bridget doing?"

"She's doing good," said Rob. "She might be here later today."

"Of course, at least we know he's not got going to get in any trouble," said Sean's mom, "Especially with you, Bridget, and now Kevin being here."

"He wasn't getting in trouble anyway," said Rob. "Don't worry Klaudia, we all know he can take care of himself."

"Can we move in!?" Sean shouted.

"Okay, don't get so upset!" Klaudia replied.

Sean opened up the door to his room and Klaudia was the first one in. "Oh, this is so wonderful!" she said. "Look, you have a view of the street! Oh, there's a kitchen and your own bedroom!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Sean. He just flopped down on the couch, but Klaudia was not having it.

"Hey, I had to give up a weekend in Michigan with Julie, come and help out," Klaudia said, her voice getting firm.

"Sorry," he replied. Klaudia smiled again. "I wonder who your roommate is?"

Right on cue, the door opened again. A pair of men, both somewhere in their 30s, appearing East Asian and speaking what sounded like Japanese, burst in. Klaudia had to get into the kitchen to avoid them. "Excuse me!" she said. "A little rude, don't you think?"

"Our apologies," said one of the men. "Our young master is very impatient."

"Young master?" said Sean. "I take it my roommate's a rich boy."

"He is," said the helper. The helped walked out, while Klaudia looked impressed.

"I wonder why he's not at Northwestern," she said.

"Because his sister goes here," said the other helper.

"Okay, _that _I can understand," she said. "Where is he, anyway?"

"He will be here shortly," said the helper. "Oh, here he comes now. _Konichiwa_, _Miyazawa-sama._"

"_Konichiwa_," said Miyazawa-sama. He looked Sean over. The American had his hand out to shake. The Miyazawa guy nodded and shook his hand. "Daisuke Miyazawa," he said with a hint of an accent.

"Sean O'Callahan," he said.

Daisuke was probably about the same size and age as Sean, but probably an inch or two shorter. His brown eyes overlooked Sean and he was wearing a red shirt in this instance. His hair was much shorter than Sean's, too. His face was stern, dignified.

"So where is your sister?" asked Klaudia. Daisuke looked at her strangely.

"She's my mom!" said Sean.

"She is over in… what is it called. Thompson…"

"Thompson Point? I lived there last year," said Sean. "Which hall?"

"I believe Boywer Hall," he said.

"Girl's dorm," said Sean.

"So you've been here how long?" asked Daisuke.

"This is my third year," said Sean. "Of course, during those last two years I was playing for the Southern Illinois Redhawks… junior hockey team." And a purely fictional one at that.

"Interesting," said Daisuke. He walked away, preferring to see his room.

Across campus his little sister was moving in to her dorm. She was in (the aforementioned) Bowyer Hall, which is in Thompson Point and right on the Campus Lake. Unlike her brother's apartment, it was a single room. It made sense, because she's only 18 years old. At SIU, all freshmen under 21 must live in the dorms.

The girl had moved in yesterday. She'd already started re-adjusting her bed and she'd soon meet her new roommate. She sat on her bed, eagerly awaiting the other woman. She'd heard she was a transfer student… from Venezuela! She'd never met anyone from there!

Brushing some black (with brown highlights)-colored hair back, she looked out at people boating out on the campus lake when she heard the door open. Immediately she turned around and bowed to the person coming in. "_Konnichiwa!_" she said. "My name is Miyazawa Hitomi, it is nice to meet you!"

The woman in the door frame stood there bewildered at her reaction. "I'm… not your roommate," she said. "My daughter is."

"_Oi, mama, que es_?" a younger woman asked, sticking her head in the door. She shared the same dark brown hair color and light, coffee-with-cream colored skin tone as her mother.

"She says she's your roommate," the older woman said in English. "And speak English, you're not in South America anymore."

"Very well then," said the young woman. "But for now, _hola, me llamo _Maria Gabriela Aparicio Rodriguez_. ¿__Cómo estas__?_"

Hitomi was confused for a moment before Maria's mother whispered in her ear. "Oh, it's so nice to meet you, Maria!" she said, taking another bow.

"Nice to meet you too," Maria said with a smile. "So why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to be here," said Hitomi. "This seemed like such a nice place to study and attend university, and my brother was willing to come."

"But Harvard this isn't," said Maria's mother. "It's not even the University of Illinois."

"It would have been nice to go there," said Maria. "But I was tired of Rio. Anything even resembling a city was out of the question."

"Guess that means even Indiana was out of the question," said her mother.

"I'm sorry," said Hitomi.

"Why are you apologizing?" Maria asked, placing her hand on Hitomi's shoulder in a comforting manner. Maria's mother smiled. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

"I'm not sure why," Hitomi replied. "I guess I don't have anything to apologize for."

"Exactly," said Maria. "It's my prerogative for not going to any other university. Besides, this place looks nice… even if it is rural America.

Meanwhile, "I would have expected someone like you to be going somewhere like Northwestern, Stanford or Harvard," Sean said as he took a sip of pop and sitting on the couch watching some baseball.

"My sister is fragile," said Daisuke. "I wanted to make sure she was okay in her first year here."

"Great, a helicopter sibling," said Sean. "My sister lives here, but she works for the athletic department."

"Athletic department?" said Daisuke.

"Yeah, she really likes that job," Sean replied.

"How can a university have an athletic department?" asked Daisuke.

"Cuz it makes money," said Sean.

"Getting back to our original conversation," said Daisuke, "Why are you here? You were talking about going somewhere else."

"Yeah, I was playing for an amateur junior hockey team called the Southern Illinois Redhawks," said Sean, "And I wanted to go to UW-Madison—sorry, University of Wisconsin-Madison—because of their hockey team, but my parents put the brakes on that before I could file my transfer procedures."

"Why?" asked Daisuke.

"They didn't want me playing hockey anymore," said Sean. "They told me I was too focused on it and I should focus on my schoolwork. I could have done the same thing at UW for fuck's sake!"

"It seems to me your rage is misplaced," said Daisuke.

"Fuck you," said Sean. "I could be in Madison right now."

"And why are you not playing this sport?" asked Daisuke.

"Because the league is for people 20 years and under," said Sean. "I turn 21 in 3 months, so I had to end my career there."

"I see," said Daisuke.

"I could have gone to U of I, but my transfer to UW took too long and—are you even listening?"

"No."

"Right. By the way, how can you speak English fluently? I'm not trying to be insulting, I just—"

"My family is wealthy enough to have hired a tutor to teach my sister and I since we young," said Daisuke. "It's a wonder I was able to."

"Whaddaya mean?" asked Sean.

"Since I was ten, I took karate classes, went to camps and learned a few other things," said Daisuke. "Thanks to that, I'm incredibly strong."

"Wait, what?" Sean asked. "I did the same thing, with a bunch of other kids."

"Except for me it was just me and my sister," Daisuke replied.

"Huh." Sean said. "I wonder…"

"I need to see how my sister is doing," Daisuke said, getting up from the couch.

"Where does she live?" asked Sean.

"Bowyer Hall," replied Daisuke.

"I know where that is," said Sean. "I'll show you the way." Daisuke shrugged and followed Sean out of the apartment.

Along the way, Sean showed Daisuke the campus, noting how it felt relaxed and open compared to Chicago, or any other city. Daisuke mentioned that even though his hometown Kyoto isn't as dense as Tokyo, it still felt confined. Sean shrugged and put his hands in his shorts while he walked along the trail.

It was while they passed the Student Center, going along Lincoln Drive that Sean noticed someone he recognized. "Is that—KEVIN!" The young man in question, who looked a few years older than Sean, turned around. He was more muscular than Sean, having the build of a small rugby player.

The young man smiled and said in an Irish brogue, "Hello there, Sean."

"Who is he?" asked Daisuke.

"This is Kevin O'Donnell," Sean said, introducing the Irishman. "He's a friend of mine from Ireland."

"Ireland?" Daisuke asked.

"My dad's from Ireland and he took me there on occasion," said Sean. "Kevin is the son of one of my dad's friends, so we hit it off. And, he's a grad student here."

"A pleasure to meet you," said Kevin.

"_Konnichiwa_," Daisuke said, "_Hajimemashite_."

"What did he say?" asked Kevin. His brown eyes looked at Sean and he rubbed his short, light-brown hair.

"I dunno," Sean replied.

"It is very nice to meet you," said Daisuke.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," said Kevin. "I'm afraid I don't speak Japanese."

"My apologies, then," Daisuke said, taking a bow. Sean shrugged and said,

"We're gonna see his sister," said Sean. "I'm just showing him around."

"Do you mind if I come along?" asked Kevin.

"Nah, you can come," Sean replied. Kevin smiled and nodded, following the two while Sean led them to Bowyer Hall.

The hall was right on the Point. While Thompson Point is the area's name, there are only 3 halls on that Point on the Campus Lake. It was basically three stories (plus the basement), a single hallway, a staircase and a TV lounge. That's the design for each residence hall in the area.

While Daisuke talked to his sister, Sean checked on his iPhone and Kevin just sat on a nearby bench. "So what do you think of him so far?" asked Kevin.

"I dunno yet," said Sean. "I just met the guy. But his entourage was rude."

"Rude?"

"Yeah, they just burst in while my mom—"

"Which one?" Kevin said with a laugh.

"The woman who gave birth to me," Sean replied matter-of-factly. "They burst in while my mom was in their way. They didn't even say 'excuse us'!"

"My sister will be down shortly," said Daisuke. Sean shrugged and followed Daisuke up to the main entrance. They waited for about a minute before a girl who didn't even look 18 came downstairs and opened the door for them.

"_Konnichiwa!_" she said with pep. "_Watashi wa Miyazawa Hitomi desu_." She said with a bow.

"What did she just say?" Sean asked.

"Hitomi, this is my roommate Sean O'Callahan, and his friend…"

"Kevin O'Donnell."

"It is a pleasure to meet you!" she said with only a hint of an accent. It must be that rich tutoring. "Follow me!"

They followed her up to the third floor, getting a good view of the lake in the process. Hitomi knocked on the door of her room and when her roommate called for her to come in, they entered.

Daisuke entered first, wanting to get a good look at his sister's room. Sean and Kevin came next, looking like they were merely browsing. "So who's this?" her roommate asked. Sean took one look at her and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

_Holy Gretzky! _He thought. _She's gorgeous! _The roommate took a look at Sean and gave him a smirk.

"Like what you see?" she asked with a teasing tone. Sean nodded. "I love it when men look at me like that. So who are you?"

"My name is Miyazawa Daisuke. I am Hitomi's older brother."

"Hello, I am Kevin O'Donnell, I'm a graduate student here." He elbowed Sean, bringing him back to his senses.

"I'm Sean O'Callahan, and I'm the only one here _from _Illinois."

"Is that so? Well then, _hola, me llamo Maria Gabriela Aparicio Rodriguez y yo soy de Caracas_."

"You're from Caracas?" asked Sean.

"You speak Spanish?" asked Maria.

"A little," Sean said with a laugh. "I took it in high school, and I'm a little rusty."

"You should learn it," said Maria. "Pretty soon, you'll have to be bilingual."

"Yeah, I've already figured that out," said Sean.

"So where's Kevin from?"

"Dublin," he said.

"You're Irish?" she asked. Kevin nodded. "Have you—"

"No."

"Well, then—"

"_No_. I prefer Smithwick's."

"It's brewed by Guinness," Sean whispered in his ear. "So how come you're here? You look like the kind of lady who'd go to Miami."

"I _did _want to go to Miami," said Maria. "I'd rather not talk about that."

"Hey, I can understand," said Sean. "I wanted to transfer to Wisconsin, but I wasn't allowed to."

"Why?" asked Maria.

"Hockey," said Sean. "_Ice _hockey."

"You play ice hockey?" asked Maria.

"He's insane about it," said Kevin.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," said Sean.

"May I interject?" asked Daisuke. "Much like the two of you, I would prefer to go somewhere else.

"Then where would you prefer to go?" asked Sean, "Northwestern? Oxford? Hahvahd?"

"Because my sister is going here, I feel I must attend this university to make sure she is alright."

"An overprotective brother," Sean concluded. "You know, judging from what you were talking about earlier, you know, having to learn karate, I'd think she could handle herself."

"What are you talking about?" asked Maria.

"Apparently these two took martial arts classes since they were kids," said Sean. "And a whole bunch of other stuff."

"So did I!" said Maria.

"As did I," said Kevin. "Of course, that does not count my service with the Irish Defense Forces."

"Didn't think so," said Sean. "Well, that sounds interesting. I guess we all have something in common. Maybe we could go to the bars—not Hitomi, she's underage—and we could chat over some beers Kevin bought for us!"

"You do realize that's illegal, right?"

"Doesn't stop anyone around here," said Sean. "Trust me, I know these things." Kevin sighed, shaking his head.

"I doubt you learned how to be a leader," said Daisuke. That comment must have done something. Sean gave him a look as though he just insulted his intelligence (which, in a way, he did).

"And you think having money makes you automatically entitled to leadership?" asked Sean. "Listen, rich boy, I've seen rich people fuck up big time in this country. And no, I don't just mean sportspeople."

"What are you getting at?" asked Daisuke.

"I was captain of the Southern Illinois Redhawks junior hockey team!" said Sean. "A Tier 1 Junior hockey team!"

"I already knew that. Is that supposed to make me impressed?" asked Daisuke.

"I was captain of a hockey team for _two fucking years_!" Sean replied. "Of course it is!"

"Oh, dear," said Maria, "This does not look good. Listen, can you two stop? I don't want this turning bad." Daisuke glared at Maria. Sean sighed and backed off.

"So am I supposed to be impressed with your credentials?" asked Sean.

"My family is the owner of the Miyazawa Department Store chain," said Daisuke, "The wealthiest chain in all of Japan."

"And?"

"My family could fund this entire school without public money and it would not make a difference in our wealth," he said.

"Holy shit, he's rich," said Sean, his eyes wide. "He definitely could have gone to Northwestern!"

"I think I'll take him outside," said Maria. She grabbed his elbow and tugged him out. Sean didn't fight back (he was blushing too hard) and Kevin nodded. Daisuke rolled his eyes and followed them out. That left Hitomi, but she didn't want to be left alone, so she locked the door when she left.

"Who knows Sean, if you're nice to him you might be able to convince him to fund a school hockey team," Kevin joked as they left.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Sean.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The first week of class went by with very little fanfare, other than the usual Week Of Welcome activities. Sean was surprised to find out he had Maria and Daisuke in two of his classes. They in turn were just as surprised as him. Daisuke was unaware roommates could be in the same class together, but he reacted with a simple shrug. Maria on the other hand, was interested in seeing how Sean was doing.

They didn't ask which majors they were all taking, so as they left one of their classes, Maria asked what they were majoring in. Sean was majoring in anthropology and minoring in English. Daisuke, true to his family's tradition, majored in business and minored in finance. Maria was majoring in education and minoring in child development.

Sean raised his eyebrow as they walked past Faner Hall, the long, concrete liberal arts classroom building. "You want to be a teacher?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied. "I want to help people."

"See? At least she wants to make a difference!" Sean said to Daisuke. The Japanese heir sighed and looked away. Maria laughed.

"You are incorrigible," said Daisuke.

"What happened this time?" asked Maria.

"He's a white collar crook in the making," Sean cracked. Daisuke sighed and shoved Sean.

"Please don't do that," said another voice. Sean smiled, shaking his head.

"Come on Rob, I was just teasing!" he said. Rob strode up to the trio, dressed in his SIU police uniform. He didn't look too pleased.

"Who is he?" asked Maria.

"He's my brother-in-law," said Sean.

"My name's Rob," he said, "Rob Jackson."

"Aren't you supposed to be on duty?" asked Sean.

"I am, but I just saw you and I was worried you'd get in trouble," said Rob. Maria looked at Sean with an interested look.

"Rob, it's the first week of school. It's sunny, nice, warm, and everything one could want from this town. I'm not getting into trouble!"

"I have a feeling he already has," said Daisuke. Rob shrugged and walked away, going back on duty.

Maria had to leave, so she said good-bye and left Sean and Daisuke alone. Unfortunately, this was not the best idea.

"My sister says he just wants to make sure I behave myself," said Sean. Daisuke raised his eyebrow. Sean was about to go into the Student Center, but Daisuke wasn't done.

"I have a feeling she has a reason," he said. Sean turned around and glared at him.

"You know, you're really starting to grate on me," he said. "You're lucky this isn't a hockey game. I'd drop the gloves and beat the crap out of you."

"I doubt it," said Daisuke.

"I may not look like much," said Sean. He's only about 175 lbs, after all, "But I'm a lot stronger than you think!"

"Is that true?" asked Daisuke.

"You want me to prove it?"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Sean put an MMA glove on his hand. Kevin was looking around, hoping no one saw them. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said.

"You see this tree, rich boy?" Sean asked, pointing at a tree that looked pretty thick. They were in a pretty wooded area off campus and out of the sight of prying eyes. "I'm gonna knock it down."

"Now I know why Bridge has Rob spy on you," said Kevin. Daisuke didn't talk. He just crossed his arms and watched skeptically. Sean got in to a fighting stance and delivered a punch to the tree. Immediately, the tree started to crack.

"TIM-BER!" Sean called out. The trio got out of the way while the tree tipped over and fell. Sean gave Daisuke a look while Kevin looked around to see if anyone heard them. Sean took off the MMA glove and handed it back to Kevin, picking up his backpack and getting ready to leave.

"Let me show you," said Daisuke. Kevin groaned, but Daisuke ignored him. He delivered a swift and powerful kick to another tree that brought it down just like the one Sean brought down.

"So you just proved you're both strong," said Kevin, "Now let's go before we get in trouble and we get ticks on our legs.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"This is your fault," Daisuke said, trying to pull a tick that had latched itself to his leg. Sean laughed from their shared bathroom. "I am wearing jeans from now on."

"I'm tick-free!" Sean called back. Daisuke rolled his eyes and sighed. Sean burst out, wearing a red _Power Rangers _t-shirt that he'd changed into.

"Do you like that show?" asked Daisuke.

"Of course!" said Sean, "Why are you going to criticize me for holding onto a long-gone childhood or something?"

"No, I was going to criticize you for your ignorance," said Daisuke.

"I know about _Super Sentai_," said Sean, "I'm not stupid. Now then, I think I'll go and play _Twilight Princess_."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Sir, we have to call them in," said the agent. The Samuel L. Jackson look-a-like glanced at him. He pulled up images of five people. The agent stayed silent while the director looked over the pictures. Behind them, activity continued uninterrupted. But the director was thinking.

"Is it urgent?" he asked.

"It may be," said the agent.

The Samuel L. Jackson look-a-like was silent. He only glanced at the agent. "Wait until Saturday," he said. "We'll let them get comfortable first."

"Yes, sir," said the agent. He turned around and walked away while the director looked at the pictures again.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Sean always liked to sleep in on Saturdays, and now that he didn't have a hockey season to look forward to, he found a surprise benefit. So there he was, sleeping on his stomach, his sheets a little messy and unkempt. His right arm dangled off the side of the bed and his hair was splayed out on the pillow. Truly a picture of grace and poise. With a clean slate for the weekend, all he had to do was relax.

Unfortunately, his slumber was disturbed by his iPhone ringing. Out of reflex, he answered. "Hello?" he said, his voice groggy.

"_Sean O'Callahan?_"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"_That is of no concern,_" said the voice on the other end. Sean started to get up and the voice continued. "_You're going to be picked up by a black SUV from the Student Center in an hour. Get up, get dressed and get moving._" The person hung up, much to Sean's confusion.

"What the—" He was interrupted when Daisuke opened his door.

"Did you get the call, too?" he asked. Sean nodded. "Get ready."

"This oughta be good," said Sean.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

To be continued…

Part 1 of the first chapter of _Power Rangers GPX SIU_. The main story is already up, but I decided to do this to give people an idea of how their adventure began. _GPX SIU _already has 10 chapters (chapter 11 is being worked on). Also, the characters already appeared in _Power Rangers GPX _parts 1 and 2. Go and read them when you're done here!

Tell me what you think! The review button is right down there!


	2. Start Your Engines, Part 2

Power Rangers GPX SIU: Start Your Engines, Part 2

:-:-:-: Pow-wer Ran-gers, Grand Prix, G-P-X, GO! :-:-:-:

Sean was nervous. Okay, that might be downplaying it a bit. He was _very _nervous. His heart was pounding and his knees shaking while he got dressed. He almost tripped over his shorts while putting them on. A million thoughts were swirling through his head at the moment. He kept trying to relax himself, but there was no way of stopping the nervousness. He took several deep breaths and then walked out of his room into his apartment kitchen.

Daisuke was sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looked relaxed, but Sean could notice his fingers twitching. If he was nervous, he was being subtle about it. Sean opened the fridge and grabbed an apple, washing it off then took a big bite out of it. He hoped this would make him relax, but it didn't work.

"Are you alright?" asked Daisuke.

"I don't know," said Sean. "Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?"

"No," said Daisuke his voice shaking. It was a façade. Sean had no idea he was lying.

"Fuck this!" said Sean.

"Why?" said Daisuke.

"I CAN'T FUCKING RELAX! AND I CAN'T WAIT, EITHER!" Daisuke raised his eyebrow at the American's hot-headedness. Daisuke turned up the volume of the TV to drown out his roommate's ranting, but it wasn't quite working.

He muttered a few things under his breath in Japanese. "It seems my sister got a call, too," he said to himself. In the meantime, he looked at Sean, wearing a green shirt, pacing about the apartment and yelling obscenities and other bad words. "It's almost time," he said.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

A figure wearing a black cloak stepped up to a door with the Ouroboros symbol on it. Taking a deep breath, he removed his hood, revealing his dark hair. The young man, barely over the age of 17, knocked on the door. His knees were shaking and his knock was a little off-kilter. "It is I, the acolyte named Kevin," he said in his Manc accent.

"Come in," replied the voice from inside. Kevin opened the door and stepped in.

"You wanted to see me, Master Drake?" Kevin asked

Drake, the person in question, looked up at Kevin. He appeared albino, but really he wasn't. He was just pale and had blonde hair that gave him the appearance of one. His figure was concealed by his white cloak, so Kevin could not tell much about him, but he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. This was in fact, the first time he'd spoken to him. "Ah, yes, Kevin," he said. "Welcome to America."

"Thank you, Master Drake," he said.

"I hope you have become acclimated to the facility," said Drake. "Now allow me to introduce my main associates. This man here—" He gestured to a man next to him with darker hair and in his mid-twenties as well.

"My name is Cedric," he said, "I am Drake's second-in-command."

"And over here—" Drake gestured to a larger man. He did not wear a cloak, but wore a black vest showing off his muscles. His dark hair was slicked back and he appeared to be older than Drake. "Introduce yourself."

"My name is Ronald," he said. "I am the field leader of this Society! With me, you are in good hands. I have _never _been defeated in battle!"

"Charming," said Drake. "And over here—" He gestured to a woman sitting on his desk in a provocative manner. Just like the others, she had dark hair. She also had curves, despite her slender body type.

"My name is Bellatrix," she said. "I am Drake's fantastic lover."

"Indeed you are," said Drake. "Neville, our chief scientist, is not here, so you will have to meet him some other time. Now then, Kevin, do you know what we are?"

"We are the most powerful alchemical organization in the world," said Kevin. "We were founded by disgruntled followers of Paracelsus. All other alchemists tremble at our name, and soon, the non-alchemists will too, is that correct?"

"That is correct," said Drake. "We are in the process of gaining great power through our alchemical knowledge. Now then, why do you not follow Ronald? He has a mission for you to be carried out in Carbondale, Illinois."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Daisuke suddenly heard his roommate go silent. He looked over to him sitting in a chair, looking to be deep in thought. Apparently the stress of waiting was getting to be too much for him. Daisuke didn't blame him. He was clearly unaware of what really was going on.

"Let's do this," he heard. He looked over at Sean. He still seemed to be deep in thought, but now his eyes had changed. There was a lit fire in them and it was getting hotter. Daisuke looked over him.

"Why?" he asked.

"Cuz I want to find out what this all is," said Sean. "Who knows? It might change our lives for the better." Sean had no idea his words were prophetic.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"You guys got that call, too?" Sean asked when he noticed Maria, Hitomi and Kevin at the Student Center drive-up.

"I take it you did, too," said Maria. "What's going on?"

"No fucking clue," said Sean. The drive-up to the student center was empty. It was a Saturday, after all. Most of the students were relaxing in their dorms. "What do you think this is?"

"I don't know," said Kevin. "This is interesting, isn't it?"

"Who wants to bet Morpheus will be there with red and blue pills?" Sean asked with a laugh.

"I thought you would find another silly pop culture reference," said Daisuke.

"Do be honest, I only saw part of that movie," said Sean. "When are they—is that them?"

A black SUV pulled up to the driveway. All five of them stood around, watching. The black tinted windows indicated something may be different. A man wearing a black suit and sunglasses got out of the passenger's side. "Sean O'Callahan?"

"Yeah."

"Kevin O'Donnell?"

"Aye."

"Daisuke Miyazawa?"

"Yes."

"Maria Aparicio?"

"Yes."

"Hitomi Miyazawa?"

"_Hai._"

"I'd like you to come with me, please," he said.

They hesitated. Nervousness fell over them. There was no way of knowing who this guy was or who he worked for. He could be working for the mob, of all people. But it would take one person to change things. And he needed to act.

It happened to be Sean.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward. "What are you doing?" asked Maria.

"I'm grabbing destiny by the throat," he replied. "I don't know who these guys are, but I wanna find out."

The others looked at him in total shock. Did he really just say that? Maria tried to grasp his words. Kevin looked as if he'd heard him say "go Red Wings". Hitomi gasped and Daisuke looked indifferent. However, he too, stepped forward.

"I am coming as well," he said. "Hitomi, are you coming?"

"Yes," she said with unease as she stepped forward.

"I'm not staying!" said Maria. That left just one person.

"I'm coming!" Kevin said with a groan. They all piled into the SUV one at a time and the agent came next.

Just then, the agent reached back and presented some blindfolds.

"Put these on," he said. It wasn't even a request, but not quite like an order. It was more like an instruction. The weirded-out quintet looked at each other. But the driver wouldn't go anywhere unless they took the blindfolds. Kevin reached forward and grabbed the blindfolds and handed them out to everyone else. They put the blindfolds on and for the next half hour, that was all they would see.

If only it would come sooner. "Where the hell are we?" Sean asked. "I think the Miyazawa girl's asleep."

"We'll be there soon," said the agent, but if only that would calm them down. By now they were getting impatient.

"You already said that," said Daisuke. What was supposed to be a life-changed moment has turned into something to regret. It's like making the high school soccer team but being turned into a bench-warmer. However, adventure is a funny thing. Sometimes, the most mundane things can lead to the extraordinary.

"We have arrived," said the agent. The quintet took of their blindfolds and got out of the SUV. Sean had difficulty, though. The Miyazawa girl had fallen asleep and was resting her head on his shoulder. It was more embarrassing than cute.

She woke up and the two got out of the SUV. The garage was small. It had an underwhelming effect on the group. "This way," he said. Okay, so this is not the only part of the place (thank you, Captain Obvious). They followed him out.

Now, things became extraordinary. The next room was much different, almost like a scene from some sci-fi TV show or something like that. The room was filled with computers and people scurrying about, doing their jobs. The next room was a bit bigger, though, having more floor space. Then the agent stopped to talk to someone else, who seemed to be wearing what looked like a spysuit. The agent and the woman, who had her hair in a bun, exchanged a few words, before the woman said, "Can you follow me, please?" Once again, the group followed her.

The staff stopped and watched these civvies follow the female agent. The group followed her into a conference room where a man who looked like Samuel L. Jackson was waiting for them.

"Welcome," he said. "Please, sit down." They did, sitting at an oval-shaped table. "My name is Tom Maelstrom. I am the director of the Strategic Worldwide Organization for Reconnaissance and Defense, or SWORD. And I have a proposition for you."

"What is it?" asked Sean, who looked pretty skeptical.

"I'll explain," said Maelstrom. "Fifteen years ago, we started a project that we decided to try out. It was an attempt at creating an elite strike force to combat enemies both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. For the most part, the brass at the time was pretty skeptical. We were unaware of any threats.

"However, in the past few years, we've begun to detect strange activity. We've seen massive spikes of energy around the map, mainly focused on Illinois. Why they would be focused here, we're not sure of. So, we decided to give the Project a bit of a test run."

"So what _is _the 'Project'?" Sean asked again.

"I'm getting to that," said Maelstrom. "Some of our scientists were involved in a program originating during the Korean War that began to develop robotic exoskeletons and lightweight material to be used in cold weather. Of course during Vietnam, that sort of sidelined the project, but they kept going on with it. We eventually took over the project 20 years ago and began the process of finding operatives.

"We found potential Candidates among a range of children over and under the age of 10. The Candidates were trained in martial arts and other military subjects, but kept their status as civilians. These programs were presented as simple after-school programs to fool their families. There were a multitude of these Candidates, but only a few could actually become Operatives."

He gestured to an agent who brought over some folders. "Let's see here… sorry if this seems strange. Sean O'Callahan; nationality: American. Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois. Former captain of the Southern Illinois Redhawks junior ice hockey—"

"HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET MY INFORMATION! ! !" he screamed. "Wait until my Congre—"

"Calm down!" said Maelstrom. "Although, I must admit that does sound like invasion of privacy, so I'll make this quick. Next we have Kevin O'Donnell, from Dublin, Ireland. Daisuke Miyazawa, Kyoto, Japan; Maria Aparicio, born in Caracas, Venezuela, but living in Rio de Janeiro, and Hitomi Miyazawa, also from Kyoto, Japan."

"Aside from the obvious invasion of privacy, what does this have to do with us?" asked Maria.

"Good question," said Maelstrom. "And it has everything to do with why you're here. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I got that information off Facebook."

"Ugh, I need to adjust my privacy settings," said Maria. Sean slammed his head on the table.

"Now then, do you remember taking any strange after-school activities?"

"_Yes,_" they said in unison. They all looked at each other. Then, a look of realization; it was now starting to come together for them.

"We were Candidates," said Maria.

"Correct," said Maelstrom. "As our best Candidates, you have been chosen to operate robotic exoskeletons designed to enhance the user's abilities multifold. You will be Earth's best hope against threats both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. You will become… Power Rangers." Silence. And then,

"So… have you ever gone to a psychiatrist?" asked Sean.

"Of course," said Maelstrom. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Listen, Sammy," he said, "_Power Rangers _is just a TV show."

"Not this time," said Maelstrom. He pointed to a man in a white labcoat. "This is Dr. Wilhelm Morris, University of Michigan. He's one of the main developers of Project Ranger."

"Here's some test footage," said Dr. Morris. He pointed to some black-and-white video and groaned when he heard snickering coming from the table.

"Is that _spandex_?" asked Kevin.

"IT IS NOT SPANDEX!" Dr. Morris bellowed. "The material is a self-assembling nano-fiber formed with an intercellular sheet memory alloy!"

"So what does that mean?" asked Sean.

"You say a command and the suit assembles itself," said Maelstrom.

"I get it, the suit's amazing!" said Sean. "But really, Power Rangers? Can't you be a little mo—"

"Power Rangers is based off a Japanese show," Daisuke interrupted. Sean glared at him.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" said Sean. "You know, you're _really_starting to get on my nerves."

"Quiet." Maelstrom said calmly but with enough force to get them to stop. "You don't have to do this. All I want is for you accept the powers—or not—and you'll be on your way out of here."

"The test guy is wearing a motorcycle helmet," said Sean. "Sorry, but it's not gonna happen."

Maelstrom sighed, looking over at Dr. Morris. "Very well then," he said with obvious disappointment in his tone. "Although I can't convince you to take these?" He asked. An agent walked up with a briefcase and opened it up, revealing five wrist-mounted devices.

"No thanks," said Sean. "I don't even know what threat there is."

"We're not sure, either," said Maelstrom. He mentally admitted that was a mistake in his calculations. He wasn't even sure if the enemy would even be anywhere near Carbondale. "You're free to go."

The quintet got up and left. Except for Daisuke. He stayed for just a moment. "Am I a leader?" he asked.

"You had your chance to act," said Maelstrom. With that, Daisuke walked out.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Some time later the group was dropped back off at the Student Center. "Losers," Sean muttered as he began to walk away.

"Sean," said Kevin. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," said Sean. He and Daisuke walked away, heading back to their apartment, hoping to get on with their lives.

Tomorrow, things would change… forever.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Quickly!" Ronald said to the acolytes and Society members the next day. He looked around, noting nothing but woods. They were on the SIU campus, technically out in the open, but right in the middle of Thompson Woods in the center of campus. One wrong move and they'd be discovered. They were setting something up; transmutation circles that helped them with their alchemical powers.

Ronald kept looking around. So far no sign of any looked back at the Society's acolytes. They were making objects. Just like with _Fullmetal Alchemist_, Equivalent Exchange is in play here. In order to obtain an object, they must give something of equal value. In this case, to create a sword, they had to use the materials needed to make a sword.

But they were mostly making blocks. Only a couple of them were really making swords. They were from long-time alchemical traditions. After alchemy originally died out in the renaissance, it stayed underground, although Isaac Newton briefly revived it. The Ouroboros Society has been underground since its 16th century founding.

Ronald smiled. S far, no one was around here.

Although… "Rob, I'm fine!" Sean said while walking through Thompson Woods. "No, I didn't get into trouble this week. Jeez, Rob, are you paranoid or something? Protective? Yeah, whatever. Look, just stay calm, alright? I thought it was Bridge who was supposed to be the protective one. Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye." He sighed, shoving his hands into his short pockets and—who the hell is that?

He noticed there some people having trouble. He wasn't sure what was going on, so he innocently called out, "HEY! You guys need any help?"

The acolytes looked at Ronald. His eyes were wide in surprise. They should not have come! If they leave him alone, perhaps nothing will come of it! Ronald turned around. They hoped he would—oh, no. He was growling. "Get him," he said.

"But Ronald, if we—"

"I SAID GET HIM! NO ONE MUST SEE US!" he shouted. He pulled on some gauntlets. The acolytes and members got up and started to chase Sean.

He didn't know what was going on. What were they wearing? Were they—"Oh, CRAP!" He didn't waste time running. He ran to the south, hoping to escape. His face was filled with terror and he tried running past the Student Center windows—NO ONE!? FUCK SUNDAYS!

Sean kept running, reaching the mouth of the woods near Neckers Hall and—what's that lightning doing there? He watched as some big muscle-bound brute emerged from the ground and "HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU DO THAT!?"

"What are you doing, kid?" Ronald asked.

"Look, I don't want any trouble!" said Sean. "Just leave me alone!"

"No non-alchemist can see us and live," said the big brute. Sean was frozen in fear, but that didn't last. When the brute wound up his arm, he broke away again, running back the same way he came, but had to break left when he noticed the other cloaked guys getting close. He ran through the woods, reaching the Ag Building and he noticed Maria and Hitomi.

"O'Callahan?" Maria asked. "What's going?" She noticed the guys wearing black hoods. "Friends of yours?"

"NO!" Sean shouted. When they noticed the cloaked guys were carrying weapons, that was a cue for them to start running, too.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Maria shouted.

"I JUST ASKED IF THEY NEEDED HELP!" Sean replied.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" Ronald shouted. However, he growled when he saw them starting to gain some ground. "You five! Go that way, try to cut them off! The rest of you, keep following them!" The acolytes chased after them, breaking off into two squads. However, he kept the ones he order to cut off the Rangers to stay behind, but gave them some gray clay. "You know how to activate this, correct?"

"Yes," said one of the members.

"Use it," he said.

They were panting heavily, but it seemed as though Sean, Maria and Hitomi were in the clear. However, they could still see several cloaked guys chasing them. They were rounding the corner near Lawson Hall when they noticed more guys coming to cut them off. "_Ay dios mio!_" said Maria. Hitomi was muttering something into her cell phone.

"LET'S NOT STOP!" Sean shouted as he dragged the both of them along with them. Then, they noticed one of the cloaked guys throwing something at them. They stopped and watched some clay starting to crackle with lightning. "What the hell?" said Sean.

The clay started to shift and break apart. It broke into several smaller pieces and began to grow. By now, the cloaked guys had them surrounded. The clay began to morph. Legs and arms started to form from the clay. The trio backed up, trembling in fear.

The clay started to grow heads; horrendous heads with only one big eye in the middle of the forehead. They looked like horrible imitations for human, their gray skin stretching over what looked like malnourished bodies. Horrendous groans could be heard. They looked like they were in pain. The trio were shaking at the sight. The moaning and groaning was making things far worse.

They were like zombies; horrible, artificial zombies. They were a sin against nature; a humanoid abomination. Quite simply, they shouldn't exist. And now they were fully formed. The strange creatures looked at the trembling trio. They smiled in ravenous hunger. "Come on," Sean said as he turned to the big brute. "I don't want any trouble, I won't tell anyone about you!"

"It's too late for that! MANNEQUINS!" The big brute shouted. "DEVOUR THEM!"

The trio needed no more encouragement.

They bowled through the cloaked guys.

"COWARDS!" Ronald shouted. "AFTER THEM!" The acolytes and Mannequins followed in pursuit.

The trio ran across the campus, hoping to get away. However, every now and then the cloaked guys emerged and blocked them, forcing them to keep running. There was also the matter of the creepy things that—"SHIT!"

Just as they reached Faner Hall, more Mannequins appeared. They were just as ravenous as the other ones. They looked around, noticing they were surrounded. Again, they bowled right through the cloaked guys and ran for downtown.

"Sean, what are you—OH MY, GOD!" Kevin shouted when he noticed the people chasing them. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Sean replied. Kevin joined them and soon, Daisuke had found them.

"What is this?" he asked.

"THAT!" Sean replied, running past. Daisuke noticed as well and also started to run.

They led the creepy zombie thingies and cloaked guys into downtown. They ran through the Illinois Avenue Strip, getting people out of their cars and running in fear. They passed the Amtrak station and then they got to the intersection of Illinois Avenue and Main Street. More Mannequins popped up and by now, they were exhausted.

The Mannequins, mindless zombies they are, started attacking. People ran in fear and the intersection was filled with the screams of the zombies and innocent civilians.

"Like I said, just leave us alone!" said Sean. "I don't want any trouble!"

"Silence, O'Callahan!" said Daisuke.

"THERE IS NO ESCAPE NOW, FOOLS!" The brute shouted back.

"We will not let you destroy everything!" Daisuke said. "You will be defeated!" Sean wasn't too happy about Daisuke's futile attempt to be hot-blooded.

"Miyazawa, what the hell?" said Sean.

"What are you doing, boy?" asked the brute. "Who are you?"

"I am Miyaza—"

"FORGET IT!" The brute shouted. "Mannequins, acolytes, KILL THEM!" The Mannequins rushed forward and attacked.

One Mannequin rushed them first. Kevin threw a punch that he thought killed the Mannequin. However, his eyes widened in horror when the Mannequin reset its head! The Mannequin attacked.

Daisuke blocked the first Mannequin punch. He countered with a punch right to the face. He ducked as one Mannequin swung a nasty sword backhand. He sweep-kicked the robot right out from under its feet. He got back up and looked around. _They are everywhere_, he thought. An attacker jostled him out of his thoughts and he ducked to avoid the Mannequin. The vast number of Mannequins was starting catch up to him, but he didn't let that change a thing. He just kept fighting.

"HIYYA!" Sean jumped on the shoulder of one Mannequin and kicked another one's head off. He landed unleashed a tornado of punches and kicks. But then he felt a powerful blow to the gut. He stumbled backwards and growled. He recovered and countered with a roundhouse kick. He kneed one Mannequin and then side-kicked another. He spun around and kicked another in the gut. He was not used to this numerical advantage.

As for Kevin, he just stepped out of the way of one Mannequin. He blocked another one's punch and countered easily. He swung a big punch at another Mannequin. But instead of breaking up, the Mannequin's face was just dented. He only had a second before it punched him. Luckily, he blocked it. He kicked one behind him and threw the first Mannequin into a horde of them. He wiped his mouth off.

Maria had more problems. Apparently the enemy decided it would be fun to send the stronger robots against her. She ducked out of the way of one Mannequin. She finished it off with a good kick to its back. She blocked a kick and countered with her elbow. She spun around, her ponytail whipping around. She completed this spin with a hard reverse roundhouse kick. She wanted to rest, but the Mannequins kept coming.

If you thought Hitomi would be a push-over, forget it. A Mannequin swung its sword down at her. She back-flipped out of the way, kicking it in the chin. She mostly played keep-away with herself. But she kicked a Mannequin in the chin. She'd have to be offensive if necessary. She cartwheeled and flipped a couple times. But it was becoming clear there were too many Mannequins. She could hang on as long as she could, but it became obvious to all of them there were too many.

Ronald pulled his gauntlets on again while the acolytes watched. "Prepare a transmutation circle," he said. The acolytes nodded and began drawing something on the pavement. The quintet was distracted by the Mannequins to really notice and they were done in a matter of moments.

Ronald whistled and the Mannequins pulled back. "Oh, running away, eh?" Sean taunted. "YOU YELLOW BASTARDS!"

"Activate the circle!" said Ronald. That tipped Sean off to the circle beneath their feet. It started to glow and crackle.

"What is this, some kind of _Fullmetal Alchemist _shit?" he said. However, then the circle started to glow, he shouted "SCATTER!" The group jumped, but not before the circle exploded, sending them flying.

Sean's face met the pavement. The others landed around him in agonized pain. But, they didn't look like they were bleeding. The brute was laughing evilly. "Is that the best you can do? PATHETIC!" The brute taunted. "Acolytes! Prepare another transmutation circle! We're going to destroy this miserable town!"

Sean looked up and snarled at the brute. Did he just say that? No way in hell Sean was going to let him destroy Carbondale! Not while he's around! "Hey Miyazawa!" he said. "You got any ideas, rich boy?" No answer. "Miyazawa!" Again, no answer. "We're looking for leadership, here!"

"I… do not know what to do," Daisuke said. Sean couldn't see it, but Daisuke's face was showing pure terror. Well, the hockey player wasn't pleased one bit.

"FUCK YOU!"

"Sir, we've locked onto them," said one agent.

"Good, prepare to teleport," said Maelstrom. "Get those morphers ready!"

"_Yes, sir!_"

"Teleportation sequence starting… now."

A glow caught Sean's eye. He watched in amazement as something appeared on his wrist and in his hands. It was device, which looked like the gear shift without the stick in a car. In his hand, was something that looked like a Swiss Army knife painted black. Well now, this is a whole other hockey game. "What the hell is this?"

"_Use that device!_" A voice shouted from the device.

"What the—who is this?" asked Sean.

"_This is Maelstrom! Now get off your butts and use those devices!_"

"That's all fine and dandy!" said Sean. "How the fuck are we gonna use them?"

"_Shout 'GPX Start it Up' and then jam the keys into the box and give them a turn,_" said Maelstrom. There was a key hole in the side of the thing at the top. "_Now use them!_"

"Fuck it," Sean said as he pulled himself up. With this knowledge in mind, he got up off the street and stood up. Sean looked at the other people in the group and said, "Come on, get up! All of you!" The other members of the group looked at Sean in surprise at what he was doing. Wasn't Daisuke supposed to be leader? So what was Sean doing? "I said get up! NOW!" He yelled at the top of his voice.

"What do you think you are doing?" asked Daisuke.

"I'm taking command!" said Sean.

"Are you desperate or insane?" Daisuke snapped.

"I'm desperate enough to try this!" He showed the device on his wrist, which made Daisuke seethe.

"Do not," he growled.

"I just did," Sean said, holding his arms out. "I don't care if you think I'm crazy! Just GET THE FUCK UP _**NOW!**_" Kevin, Maria and Hitomi sprang to their feet. Daisuke got up, but a little less quickly. "HEY UGLY! MR. ELRIC!"

Ronald turned around, unhappy with Sean's intransigence. "What are you doing, boy?" he asked. "You just lost! Do not anger the Ouroboros Society!"

"That was just the first period!" said Sean. "And you guys attacked us first!" He displayed the device on his wrist, making Ronald raise his eyebrow. "The second period is about to begin! **_READY!?_**"

"_READY!_"

"_GPX, START IT UP!_"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

To be continued


	3. Start Your Engines, Part 3

Power Rangers GPX SIU: Start Your Engines, Part 3

:-:-:-: Pow-er Ran-gers, Grand Prix, G-P-X, GO! :-:-:-:

"That was just the first period!" said Sean. He displayed the device on his wrist, making Ronald raise his eyebrow. "The second period is about to begin! _**READY!?**_"

"_READY!_"

"_GPX, START IT UP!_" They jammed the keys into the device and gave them a turn. There was a flash of blinding light, causing Ronald to shield his eyes. Once the light faded, he and the acolytes looked at where the group was. His eyes widened and he could only look on in shock.

"I don't feel different," said Sean. "What happe—HOLY SHIT! !" He looked down at his hands to notice a pair of white gloves. Then, he got a look at himself and the others. They all had the same spandex-like stuff on. Well now, this is new.

"_This is the result of Project Ranger_," said Maelstrom. "_The suits you are wearing will increase your abilities multi-fold. You now have the power to beat these guys__._"

The suits were color-coded (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Pink) and had white broken stripes like lines on the road going down the arms, which stopped at the gloves. The torsos and boots were colored, but the pants were white with colored stripes going down the pant leg. The boots and gloves (which were white) had black bands at the top that looked like tires. A black utility belt wrapped around the waits and a silver flat-topped pentagon-shaped belt buckle completed it. The chest had a symbol; a gold-colored motion-font number (1 for Red, 2 for Blue, 3 for Green, 4 for Yellow, 5 for Pink) over a tire. The helmets, as they have been described in previous installments, were a combination of the _Power Rangers __Operation Overdrive_ and _Kosokou Sentai __Turboranger_ helmets.

"YES!" Sean yelled, feeling a rush of adrenaline. It was a feeling of euphoria better than any goal he'd ever scored.

"_That euphoria should be normal the first time you use the suits__,_" said Maelstrom.

"This is great!" said Kevin.

"_¡Muy, muy bueno!_" Maria said_. __"¡Me encanta esta sensación!_"

"This is so wonderful!" said Hitomi. "I look so cool!"

But Daisuke was silent. His helmet concealed it, but he felt more than disappointed. He was in the Green suit. Sean was in Red, Kevin in Blue, Maria Yellow and Hitomi Pink. The girls even had little skirts.

"What are you?" Ronald asked, still bewildered at what he was seeing. "What is going on!?" Even the acolytes were stunned into silence.

"What are we?" Sean asked. "We're Power Rangers! GPX Red!"

"GPX Blue!" called Kevin.

"GPX Green!" Daisuke called.

"GPX Yellow!" called Maria.

"GPX Pink!" called Hitomi.

"_Power Rangers! GPX!_" They posed and an explosion punctuated the moment.

"Was that an explosion?" Kevin asked.

"So you changed your costume, big deal!" Ronald bellowed, trying to regain his composure. "Mannequins, destroy them!" The Mannequins charged the Rangers.

"_Rangers, your primary weapon, the Octane Blaster is attached to your belts_," said Maelstrom.

"Got it!" said Sean. "LET'S GET 'EM!"

"_Right_!" They shouted and charged the Mannequins. The two groups met in the middle.

Sean delivered a roundhouse kick to an oncoming Mannequin. The kick knocked the zombie's head clean off. Then Sean kicked a Mannequin behind him without his foot touching the ground. The Mannequins closed in around Sean, but he drew his Octane Blaster—which looked like a combination between a fuel pump nozzle and a blaster—and shot a couple. Another Mannequin came at Sean, but he flipped over the zombie and shot it literally in the back with his Octane Blaster. In midair, Sean pulled a Matrix-like stunt and shot three Mannequins in midair. When he landed, a Mannequin came at him, but Sean held out his arm and clotheslined the Mannequin, knocking it on its back "I love this thing!" He said before going back to beating more Mannequins.

An incoming Mannequin brought its sword down on Kevin, but he spun around and then kicked the Mannequin in the back. He then grabbed an incoming punch from a Mannequin and flipped the zombie on its back and then stomped on the zombie's chest. But Kevin suddenly felt himself falling backwards as though a rug had been swept out from under him. Turns out a Mannequin had managed to knock him off his feet with a sweep kick. But Kevin quickly managed to recover as soon as he hit the ground and punched the Mannequin he thought was responsible for the sweep kick. Then he tornado-kicked three Mannequins and side kicked another. "I love this!" He said.

Daisuke slashed an incoming Mannequin with his GP Saber (his Octane Blaster converted to a sword). He had forgotten about the disappointment he felt earlier and was now concentrating on beating the Mannequins and enjoying the euphoria of the suit. A Mannequin tried to bite Daisuke, but he grabbed the zombie and kicked the Mannequin. He slashed at another Mannequin, then spun around like a top and struck several Mannequins in succession. He stopped long enough to let the zombies fall to the ground and fall to pieces. Two Mannequins charged Daisuke, but were met by a reverse roundhouse kick from Daisuke, then a sidekick. "I am unstoppable," he said. "You cannot defeat me!"

With two Mannequins coming at her and three behind, Maria backflipped behind the Mannequins, catching the both of them off guard. The Mannequins looked for Maria before she kicked them both, knocking their heads off. One tried to kick her, but she blocked the kick with her own leg, then reverse roundhouse kicking the same robot onto its back. Then in rapid-fire succession, kick, punch, kick, butterfly kick, chop. Five Mannequins went down like flies. From there, she kicked both zombies and then spun around to counter an incoming Mannequin attack, which she easily blocked and countered with a powerful punch. "This is incredible!"

Hitmoi backflipped five times, each time striking a Mannequin in the chin. A Mannequin lunged at her, but she dodged the sword, and countered with a punch to the zombie's gut. She acrobatically leaped over two Mannequins, and then kicked one Mannequin into the other. With three Mannequins bearing down on her, she spun around and delivered three kicks in quick succession to each Mannequin coming at her. Hitomi's acrobatic style caused the much more ground-based Mannequins to become disoriented at her style of fighting. A Mannequin again brought its sword down on her, which missed by a mile as she dodged easily and gave it a sidekick in its ribs. "Oooh! If only my mom could see this!" She said.

Ronald watched with his eyes wide and mouth even wider. "HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?" he bellowed.

"Maybe we should have left them alone?" said one of the acolytes. They were all trembling in fear. Ronald glared at him.

"OF COURSE NOT!" he shouted. "GET THEM!" The acolytes, out of fear for their lives, spread out. They began making transmutation circles in the pavement and drew weapons from the pavement… well, the ones that didn't already have weapons, anyway.

Sean finished off a Mannequin and noticed the cloaky guys surrounding them. The Rangers looked around, and noticed the acolytes. "Oh, so these guys wanna play too, huh? BRING IT!" He said. He gestured to the cloaky guys. One of them took the bait and the rest joined in. He took them all out.

Sean ducked under the first one and flipped him over. Then he stopped the next one, grabbing his face and pushing him backwards into the other cloaky guys. Another cloaky guy whacked him with his weapon, but it broke on his suit. "Why don't you take a break?" Sean asked, knocking him out.

Kevin just wrestled one to the ground. Others tried to get to him, but he took them all out with ease. He wasn't being hard on them, but subduing them. He kicked one in the back of the neck but caught him before the lad hit the ground. Then he kicked one in the gut that had snuck up on him.

Two acolytes ganged up on Daisuke. They brought their weapons down on him, but he blocked their attacks with the Grand Prix Sword. Then he threw them off and punched them both in the gut. He spun around, kicking a few down. The last one looked apprehensive and dropped his weapon.

Maria grappled with another cloaky guy. He was doing better, but that's only because Maria was holding back more than the guys. She tried to take him down, getting pretty close. The cloaky guy, to his credit, was pretty stubborn. However, she stopped playing around and threw the guy to the pavement.

On the other hand, Hitomi took glee in infuriating her opponent. He kept trying to hit her, but she jumped out of the way, giggling all the time. He was pretty mad, and that seemed to be the point. After a couple more jumps and taunts, Hitomi jumped up and kicked him in the chest, finishing off the cloaky guys.

"They're not human!" One acolyte moaned when he got away from the melee. The other acolytes were horribly traumatized at what just happened and Ronald was getting angrier.

"Alright ugly, your turn!" Sean taunted.

"Are you mocking me?" asked Ronald.

"Um, DUUUH!"

"YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Ronald shouted. He pulled on his gloves and punched the ground. The pavement started to burst towards the Rangers. The Rangers got out of the way.

"Green! Blue! Get 'im from the front!" Sean shouted.

"Got it!" said Kevin. He and Daisuke charge Ronald and engaged him. Daisuke was throwing punching and kicks at Ronald. Ronald tried to block Daisuke's attacks and he was doing well. However, he felt a blow to the gut. He fell over backwards before noticing Kevin had tackled him. Ronald attempted to kick him. Kevin jumped away while Ronald got up.

Then he felt two attacks in the back. He turned around and noticed Maria and Hitomi. They wasted no time. They started punching and kicking at him instantly. He tried to block their punches and kicks, but their tandem working was too much for him. A pair of boot soles found his face and he was knocked back.

Now it was Sean's turn. Ronald got up and blocked a punch from the Red Ranger. Sean then got down and tried to sweep Ronald off his feet, but Ronald avoided the attack. He tried to counterattack, throwing a punch and then a kick, but Sean ducked and jumped to avoid them easily. Sean easily dodged each of Ronald's attacks. Thanks to his smaller size and agility, he was making Ronald look like a nobody.

And that was making him angrier.

"DAMN YOU!" he shouted.

"Hey, don't get mad at us!" Sean replied. "You messed with us first!"

"I'll show you my true alchemical power!" he shouted again. He threw a punch at Sean.

"How could you miss!?" Sean taunted before elbowing him in the face. "Some alchemist you are!"

"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!" Ronald bellowed. He was suddenly restrained by Kevin and Daisuke and then hit by Maria and Hitomi. "I HAVE NEVER BEEN DEFEATED!"

"There's a first time for everything!" said Maria.

"GIVE UP OR GET OUTTA HERE, YOU MUSCLE-BOUND FREAK!" Sean bellowed.

"I WILL BE BACK!" Ronald roared. He began to crackle again and the Rangers had to back off before he and the acolytes disappeared.

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Hitomi cheered when they got back to Sean's apartment. She was the only one with energy. The others were near collapse after their suits disappeared. They'd just barely gotten away before the cops and National Guard showed up. Of course, they did leave a bit of a mess behind, but it's not like anyone was going to know who they were.

"Jeez, calm down," Sean said before collapsing butt-first on the couch. "Jeez, I'm beat!"

"My legs are going to be tired," said Maria. "I'm never running a marathon."

"Neither am I," said Kevin.

Daisuke was silent. He just sat down on the chair, brooding. Sean was about to say something before he heard his computer making some noise. "Is that Skype?" he asked, going into his room and checking his Skype. He turned it on right as the others joined him in his room and gathered around his MacBook.

Maelstrom was looking back at them with a smile on his face. Behind him a party was going on at SWORD headquarters. "_You had to make a scene, didn't you?_" he asked.

"Hey, you're the ones who gave us the script for the posing," said Sean.

"_It was natural_," said Maelstrom. "_It was a little sloppy, but you'll get better. But I think we just showed them we're not going down without a fight!_" The base staff roared before Maelstrom silenced them. "_But do not get arrogant. If you do, it will cost you dearly. Understand?_"

"Yes, sir," they said.

"_I can't hear you_," Maelstom said, channeling his inner R. Lee Ermey.

"_YES, SIR!"_

"_Much better_," said Maelstrom. "_But, you must also understand; your lives will not be the same. We have every reason to believe the Ouroboros Society—that's who you're fighting, by the way—will come after you. Be vigilant. They may attack you on campus if they have to. But you've shown you can handle it!_"

"Hells ya!" said Sean. "By the way, what the hell is 'GPX', anyway?"

"_Grand Prix,_" said Maelstrom. "_Yes, your motif __is__ cars, and there's a simple reason for that. We have a cover story that this is the work of some civilian loony scientist name Professor Gearhead._"

"Is that all?" asked Sean.

"_And be prepared for disappointment, especially you, Miyazawa,_" Maelstrom said again. "_You're all dismissed!_" The Skype screen turned off.

"Well that went well," said Hitomi.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what he meant by dis—" He paused and turned to Daisuke. His face was full of realization. "You _knew_!?"

"What?" asked Kevin. Sean got up and got in Daisuke's face.

"YOU KNEW THE WHOLE TIME!?" Sean roared. "AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US!?"

"Brother, what is going on?" asked Hitomi. Daisuke took in a sharp breath.

"Our family learned of the Project as soon as Hitomi and I were chosen," he said. "They demanded I gain a leadership position. I was to be the Red Ranger. And now this lower-class lowlife has taken my rightful position!"

"Lower-class lowlife!?" Sean roared. "I'm Middle-Class! And besides, I did a much better job as leader earlier! You froze up!"

"One battle is not enough!" said Daisuke. "My family depended on me becoming Red Ranger! Remember when I said I could fund this university? My family is partially funding Project Ranger!"

"Thanks anyways, but who fucking cares!?" said Sean. "I'm Red Ranger! I obviously have more real world leadership experience and I did a hell of a job! Now take your fucking position AND DEAL WITH IT!"

"Sean, calm down!" said Kevin. Daisuke stormed off and his room door slammed.

"He seems agreeable," said Maria.

"I truly apologize for my brother," Hitomi said while bowing.

"Whatever," said Sean. "Damn, I need to call Bridge! We were supposed to go out to dinner tonight! I gotta see if she's still available."

"Who's Bridge?" asked Hitomi There was a small little bit of disappointment in her voice.

"She's my sister," said Sean. "Her name's Bridget."

"Oh, you have a sister?" Hitomi asked, her mood brightening. "How old is she?"

"About 24," said Sean. "She already has a husband and two kids. Of course, the second kid is only a couple months old, but whatever."

"Can we come too?" asked Maria.

"Eh, I'll call the place we're going and then her to see if that's okay," he replied.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

"Let me try to understand what you are saying," Drake said, rubbing his face. "You were defeated… by youths dressed in colored spandex calling themselves… _Power Rangers_?" He looked incredulously at Ronald.

"That is exactly what I am saying!" said Ronald. "The acolytes can attest to this!"

"I must apologize, it is just that I am confused as to how this happened," said Drake. "Now, your defeat is not entirely surprising."

"WHAT!?"

"The saying goes, 'there is a first time for everything'," said Drake. "The details, however, I must agree, this is bizarre."

"What will we do about them, Drake?" asked Cedric.

"We will have to investigate," said Drake.

"_Power Rangers _is a television program for children," said Bellatrix.

"Now that you mention that my love, it makes their appearance all the more bizarre," said Drake. "We will have to meet them again. I do not believe they are currently a threat, but if they are one, they will have to be dealt with."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

"So, wait, you mean the business are still open?" asked Hitomi.

"Yeah, of course!" Sean replied. "We only damaged one part of a northbound street, all the cops had to do was reroute traffic! At least, that's what the news said, anyway!"

"So is this Quatro's place any good?" asked Maria.

"Yeah, they have some good pizza," said Sean, "Deep dish pizza, like pretty thick crust and gooey cheese. It's not Uno's style, but sometimes you have to use a fork to eat it."

"That sounds pretty artery-clogging," said Maria. "No thank you!"

"Suit yourself, they have other stuff," said Sean. They crossed West Mill Street nearing 710 Bookstore and the little strip malls near it. Quatro's was among one of those strip malls.

Oh, and by the way, Daisuke is not with them. He was still sore from the insult he was dealt.

So Sean opened the door to the place to see it full, but not crowded. So far, so good. When a waitress came up to them, Sean told her he was looking for Bridget Jackson. The waitress pointed to a second dining room where he noticed Bridget and Rob seated at a booth. "SEAN!" she said, giving her little brother a big hug. Sean sighed in a little bit of embarrassment.

"Nice to see you to, Bridge," he said.

The familiar resemblance was uncanny. She looked like an older, feminine version of Sean—and she was gorgeous, too. Looking at her, it'd be hard to believe she was pregnant just about a month ago. "And who are these?" she asked. "Of course, I know Kevin, but who are the girls?"

"These are my friends," said Sean. "This is Maria Aparicio and Hitomi Miyazawa."

"Hello," said Maria.

"Hello," said Hitomi.

"Hi, I'm Bridget," she said, shaking their hands. "Come on, have a seat! We haven't ordered yet, so don't be in a hurry." They sat down. When Maria sat down, she noticed a toddler, around two years old, looking at her.

"Who's she?" she asked.

"My daughter, Allie," she said. "Allie, say hello!"

"Hi," said Allie. Maria nearly jumped out of her seat.

"She's so cute!" she said.

"And here," Bridget gestured to a baby in a carrier, "Is Cassie."

"_Kawaii~!_" said Hitomi.

"Where's Rob?" asked Sean. Maria was about to ask, but then she remembered the officer she met earlier in the week. It was pretty obvious he was Bridget's husband.

"He's in the restroom," said Bridge. Right on cue, Rob walked in, wearing a red shirt with the USMC insignia on it. Sean laughed, Kevin kept looking out the window while Maria and Hitomi just stared at him.

"Come on Rob, what're you wearing that for?" Sean asked.

"I felt like it!" he said. "Oh, hello. You must be Maria."

"You didn't tell me he was in the military," said Maria.

"Yeah, he's a Marine," said Sean. "Got promoted to sergeant last year and now everyone calls him Sarge. Why, you think he's a baby-killer or something?"

"I never did such a thing!" Rob said with honest anger. No, really, he's not a baby-killer. He's a really nice guy.

"Guys, play nice," said Bridget. "I think you just scared those two. Oh, by the way, Sean, did you hear—"

"Yeah, that thing downtown," said Sean. "I saw it on the news."

"Can you believe it?" said Maria. "I had no idea what was going on!"

"What happened again?" asked Kevin.

"Some guys with some kind of magic were chasing these kids through town," she said, "And then the kids transformed into… Power Rangers?"

"That's the part where I loose that story," said Rob.

"I don't blame you," said Maria.

"What do you think we should do?" asked Bridget. "Maybe we should move—"

"NO!" said Sean. Some other patrons glanced at him before going back to their dinner. "I mean, you have that great job with the Athletic department, Rob's settling in as a cop and you have two kids! Besides, for all we know, this is just one incident!"

"I guess you're right," said Bridget. "Oh, excellent! Here comes our waitress!" With their waitress here, they could order. The O'Callahan/Jackson family ordered a pizza for everyone, but Maria just ordered a salad. They had a nice pre-dinner conversation, mainly engaging in small talk for the moment. Then, came the revelation that Sean was a timid little kid.

"Oh, you're so CUTE!" Maria said while pinching his cheek.

"Pleash stop," he replied while blushing. "That's in the past. Now I'm going to be the best hockey player ever!"

"An unnecessary and egotistical comment," said Maria. "I assume you have an ego." That should have been obvious (if subtle).

The subject wasn't expanded on. But the conversation continued. Maria, Hitomi and Bridge got to know each other while Sean, Kevin and Rob caught up. And yes, Maria did talk to Allie, eager to get to know the toddler.

Of course, the elephant in the room was their little fight earlier in the day. There were occasional news reports on TV. The atmosphere in the restaurant would get a little tenser and things would quiet down every time one came on. It got to the point where the staff had to change the channel any time it came on. Sunday Night Baseball or a Cardinals game was the obvious choice.

"… No, a hockey player doesn't have to be some massive, physically imposing beast!" said Sean. "Look at me! I'm tiny, and yet I've skated with guys nearly twice my size and come out unscathed."

"Impressive," said Maria. "I thought you would have had some brain problems by now. Oh wait, you do."

"Geez, and I thought I was only getting it from Rich Boy," said Sean.

"That's why mom doesn't want you to keep playing hockey," said Bridget. "No brain problems later in life." Sean banged his head on the table at his sister's betrayal.

"It's unanimous," said Kevin. "No brain-killing sport for you."

"I am not sure what you are talking about," Hitomi said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, _chica_," said Maria.

"What does that mean?" asked Hitomi.

"It means 'girl'," said Bridget. Sean, Kevin and Rob laughed at an unrelated story. "You don't speak Spanish, do you?"

"No," said Hitomi.

"Oh, well," said Bridget. "I assume you didn't need to learn."

"She's going to learn," said Maria. She gave Maria an almost predatory look, causing the Japanese heiress to look kind of nervous. "With all your wealth, you should know 8 languages by now."

"How rich is she?" asked Bridget.

"Apparently rich enough to fund the University and not feel in the wallet," said Sean.

Needless to say, Bridget and Rob were stunned silent. "H-how?"

"We're a department store chain," she said.

"How can a department store chain get so wealthy?" asked Bridget.

"Well, we also make our own clothes, sell our own perfumes, make our own confections, invest in foreign stores and other things," said Hitomi. "And we adapt to the times."

"That makes sense," said Bridget, still stunned. She stopped when Sean tapped her shoulder, pointing to the waitress bringing their pizza. Said pizza is a traditional pizza pie, but with thicker crust, unlike Chicago-style deep dish. Of course, Maria just got a salad.

"_Itadakimasu!_" said Hitomi. That earned some confused stares from everyone except Maria told her to say, "It's just something we say in Japan."

"She says it every meal," said Maria. The group shrugged it off and went back to eating their pizza.

"I come from a traditional family," said Hitomi. "It's important to follow Japanese traditions."

"Yeah, nothing about our family is 'traditional'," said Sean, "In more than one way."

"What?" asked Maria.

"Nothing," said Bridget. "Just eat the pizza, try it, it's good!"

"And if you don't like it, there's fifteen more pizza places around here," said Sean.

"I'll try it," said Hitomi. "Maria, do you want to try?"

"No," said Maria. "I'm fine."

"Indulge once, woman!" said Sean.

"Don't start," Kevin said, taking a sip of his beer (He's 24!).

"Kevin, how's grad school going?" asked Bridget.

"It's hard," said Kevin. "But I like it. I was thinking about applying for a Teacher's Assistant position."

"You want to be a TA?" asked Bridget. Kevin nodded. "Why?"

"I thought it would be good," said Kevin. "And the pay looks good."

"I can agree," said Rob. "If only I could do that…"

"Hey, maybe you'll earn enough to actually attend the university, Rob!" Sean joked. That earned him a dirty look from Rob. "… Sorry."

"Don't insult your brother-in-law like that," said Maria.

"It's not my fault," said Rob. "I was serving at the time, I didn't get a chance."

"And at the same time, Bridge was going to Northwestern," said Sean.

"Northwestern?" said Maria.

"It's the best private university in the state," said Sean. "It's up in Evanston, and I'm guessing this is why I couldn't go to Madison."

"Stop complaining," said Bridget.

"Okay," said Sean.

"I like you already," said Maria.

"Thank you dear," said Bridget.

"Although, I did love how he told the American Legion to shove it," said Sean.

"American Legion?" said Maria.

"Veteran's group," said Sean.

"I'm still a reservist," said Rob.

"And I'm telling the story," said Sean. "So he joins the American Legion and then when he finds out their higher-ups are religious bigots, he sent them a letter politely saying he's leaving, and then he writes P.S.: 'Go f—'"

"SEAN!" Bridget shouted. "Not in front of Allie!"

"What'd he say?" said Allie.

"Nothing, sweetie," said Bridget.

"I definitely like you," said Maria.

:-:-:-: Power Rangers GPX :-:-:-:

After dinner they bade good-bye (for the day) to Bridget and Rob and left for campus. It was a humid night and the air had a distinct smell to it. It wasn't a bad smell, but the smell of humidity. Despite the events earlier in the day, the group was in high spirits. Things could get potentially worse, but for now, the only thing they felt was the feeling of a job well done.

Another feeling also fell over them, though. They could not tell what it was. Perhaps it was nervousness, though. Events had just transpired that could change their lives forever, presuming their enemy came back.

For now, that was not the feeling. Maria, however, had a different view. "Do you think they'll come after us?" she asked.

"I doubt it," said Sean.

"You seem so sure," said Maria.

"Because I am sure!" he replied. "This place is worthless! We're surrounded by farmland for Pete's sake, it'd only make sense if they attacked Chicago! I don't even know why they came here!"

"It sounds like a contrived coincidence," said Kevin.

"But what if they do come back?" said Hitomi. "We could die doing this."

Silence fell over them. They didn't respond to her comment because there was one reason: she was right.

They separated for the night as they went back to their residences. Sean felt that same nervousness as he walked down Grand Avenue back to his apartment complex. Could he really die doing this? It never came up in the _Power Rangers _TV show, but he realized just how big this could get.

When he got back to his apartment he noticed Daisuke was sitting on the couch watching TV. Sean flopped butt-first onto the couch and gave out a huge sigh. "Did you have a nice time?" he asked.

"You should have come," Sean replied, "But given how you're bad with middle-class people, you would have insulted them."

"Very funny," said Daisuke. He looked back over at Sean. He was staring out the window, deep in thought.

It was deceptively calm (which the chaos earlier in the day certainly made worse). Grand Ave seemed to be quiet, but that would change as soon as the over-21s and the kids with fake IDs started going out for one last beer for the weekend. The field across the street was also quiet, but apparently there was a shindig earlier in the day. And don't get the narrator started on Brush Towers…

Daisuke noticed Sean was looking at his AcceleMorpher, which he'd taken out of one of his cargo shot pockets. He looked deep in thought. A million things must be passing through his mind at this point. "Things are different," he finally said.

"How so?" asked Daisuke.

"I just realized… we could die doing this," Sean replied. Daisuke raised his eyebrow. Perhaps he was starting to have regrets and Daisuke could have his entitled position.

"So what is your plan?" asked Daisuke.

"We have a mission, right?" said Sean. "And we'll have to complete it."

"Do you have any regrets?"

Sean turned to look at him. Instead of fear, Daisuke saw a lit fire in Sean's eyes. A knowing smile was on his face as he said,

"Not a damn one."

:-:-:-: PRGPX :-:-:-:

End chapter

So how was that? Was it intense and well-written? Did you cheer at how awesome they were?

For now this is going to be the last chapter in this particular story, so I can go ahead and focus on the current _Power Rangers GPX SIU _story, which is currently being worked on as of right now, so please go read it! Also, please review! It's easy, and I know you want to, so go ahead and leave a review (Oh, and please either sign or give me an e-mail address so I can respond.


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